What's happening
This bill adds upstate New York regional transportation authorities to those eligible for binding arbitration in collective labor negotiations.
Why it matters
Expanding binding arbitration to upstate regional transit authorities gives their workers a new, formal avenue to resolve contract disputes. , potentially increasing labor stability and reducing the risk of strikes or service disruptions for riders in those regions.
This change places upstate transit workers on more equal footing with their downstate counterparts (e.g., New York City and MTA workers). , who already have access to binding arbitration, addressing a long-standing regional disparity in labor negotiation rights.
By providing a clearer, legally binding process for resolving impasses in collective bargaining, the bill could lead to more predictable budgeting and negotiations for upstate transit authorities. , which may positively affect service planning and long-term labor relations.
The shift could have fiscal implications for local governments and taxpayers, as arbitration sometimes results in higher wage or benefit awards than negotiated settlements. , making the outcomes of labor disputes less controllable by management or elected officials.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Force Transit Contract Arbitration
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Recommit, enacting clause stricken
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to civil service and pensions
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Force Transit Talks to Arbitration
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Peter Abbate
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1165
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 11, 2019
Introduced by Sen. FUNKE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to resolution of disputes in the course of collective negotiations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 209 of the civil service law, as added by chapter 929 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
(a) In the event that the board certifies that a voluntary resolution of the contract negotiations between either (i) the New York city transit authority (hereinafter referred to as TA-public employer) and the public employee organization certified or recognized to represent the majority of employees of such TA-public employer, or (ii) the metropolitan transportation authority, including its subsidiaries, the New York city transit authority, including its subsidiary, and the Triborough bridge and tunnel authority (all hereinafter referred to as MTA-public employer) and a public employee organization certified or recognized to represent employees of such MTA-public employer not subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Railway Labor Act and not subject to the provisions of subparagraph (i) [hereof] of this paragraph, which has made an election pursuant to paragraph (f) of this subdivision, or (iii) the Niagara Frontier transportation authority, the Rochester-Genesee regional transportation authority, the capital district transportation authority and the central New York regional transportation authority (all hereinafter referred to as upstate TA-public employer) and the public employee organization certified or recognized to represent the employees of such upstate TA-public employer, cannot be effected, or upon the joint request of the TA-public employer [or], the MTA-public employer (hereinafter jointly referred to as public employer) or the upstate TA-public employer and any such affected employee organization,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07047-01-9
S. 1165 2
such board shall refer the dispute to a public arbitration panel, consisting of one member appointed by the public employer, one member appointed by the employee organization and one public member appointed jointly by the public employer and employee organization who shall be selected within ten days after receipt by the board of a petition for creation of the arbitration panel. If either party fails to designate its member to the public arbitration panel, the board shall promptly, upon receipt of a request by either party, designate a member associated in interest with the public employer or employee organization he is to represent. Each of the respective parties is to bear the cost of its member appointed or designated to the arbitration panel and each of the respective parties is to share equally the cost of the public member. If, within seven days after the mailing date, the parties are unable to agree upon the one public member, the board shall submit to the parties a list of qualified, disinterested persons for the selection of the public member. Each party shall alternately strike from the list one of the names with the order of striking determined by lot, until the remaining one person shall be designated as public member. This process shall be completed within five days of receipt of this list. The parties shall notify the board of the designated public member. The public member shall be chosen as chairman.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 209 of the civil service law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to resolution of disputes in the course of collective negotiations
Summary of provisions
OF BILL:
This proposal amends S 208 (5) (a) of the civil service law by adding the four upstate transit authorities to the binding arbitration provisions included in this section
Justification
Current law requires any contract disputes between the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and its employees to be referred to a public arbitration panel to resolve impasses in collective negotiations. This bill would expand the provisions of this law to include the employees of the upstate transit authorities the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the Roches- ter-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, the Capital District Transportation Authority and the Central New York Regional Transporta- tion Authority.
Compulsory arbitration has allowed the people of New York to enjoy unin- terrupted service in the MTA and NYCTA area since 1989. All evaluations of the effects of this law have been positive and have advocated the continuation of this process. As the inclusion of these provisions has been positive, it is time to expand this provision to the employees of the upstate transit authorities. Failure to expand this provision to the upstate transit authorities creates a needless distinction between tran- sit workers upstate and transit workers downstate.
Legislative history
S.4746/A.5303 of 2015-2016;Referred to Rules
S.7729/A.9419 of 2014; Referred to Civil Service and Pensions
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that the amendments to paragraph (a) of subdivision 5 of section 209 of the civil service law made by section one of this act shall not affect the expira- tion of such subdivision and shall be deemed to expire therewith.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.